Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are vital engines of economic growth: they create the bulk of new ideas and jobs in most developed economies. But they are scarce in other parts of the world, which is why TechnoServe concentrates its business-building efforts on developing thriving SMEs. We help entrepreneurial people capitalize on solid market opportunities, providing the support and training they need to successfully run and grow the businesses on their own. We work with individual entrepreneurs as well as groups, helping them to: develop business plans; link with markets and sources of capital; improve management skills; produce higher-quality products and services, and operate more efficiently.

Whenever possible, TechnoServe strives to maximize its impact by strengthening entire industries. After pinpointing a high-potential industry, we work with stakeholders to formulate a plan to develop it, concentrating on points along the value chain (from production to final consumption) where our efforts can produce the biggest benefits. A typical approach involves helping a lead entrepreneur (or group) to build a successful business, then refining the model and applying it to many more enterprises across the sector. We develop industry groups and help them promote government regulations and policies that enable the industry to grow and thrive. Often we replicate industry models on an even larger scale across countries and regions.